


Oil Bath

by BSplendens



Series: Miscellaneous TF fics (mostly TFP), AKA where the completed TF bunnies live [2]
Category: Transformers:Prime
Genre: And he can be nice if he wants to be, Arcee was calmer before Cybertron died, Bath, Bathing, Gen, Laserbeak wants pets, Soundwave has to put up with idiots, Temporary Truce
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-08
Updated: 2015-05-08
Packaged: 2018-03-29 13:09:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 905
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3897547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BSplendens/pseuds/BSplendens
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Soundwave works with idiots and needs to de-stress sometimes. Arcee has to put up with a bunch of rowdy mechs. There's only one oil bath anywhere near them. You might be able to see where this is going.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Oil Bath

"Chrrrk."

Arcee cracked open one optic, about to grumble at whoever had interrupted her oil bath, then paused in surprise when she saw who it was. Soundwave. There was a spymaster standing at the edge of the pool, looking down at her.  
Of course, her first instinct was to jump up and bring her weapons to bear, but she was relaxed enough that she didn't act on it. Instead, she just grumbled at the apparently passive spymaster, deciding to just find out what exactly he was doing there. After all, this was technically Neutral territory. "What do you want?"

Soundwave gestured slightly towards the large pool of warm oil, keeping his posture as unthreatening as possible as his visor lit up with a series of words. _"Oil baths are extremely prone to catching fire. This is one of the few left. May I join you?"_ he requested, not making a move towards the pool without permission. _"I will do nothing untoward, I assure you. I am merely seeking relaxation, as dealing with violent idiots is surprisingly tiring."_

Well, that seemed harmless enough, and the spymaster's posture seemed calm and unaggressive. Also, Optimus had ordered his troops not to act in a hostile manner on the few patches of neutral ground left, even around Decepticons. "Fine... get in." Arcee muttered, relaxing back into a smooth hollow in the side of the pool. "But you keep your servos to yourself, and I will hurt you if those tentacles get anywhere near me."

 _"Though I can make no assurances for Laserbeak, I will not touch you."_ Soundwave assured, then tilted his helm slightly in what almost looked like a non-facial representation of a smile. _"I prefer to keep my limbs intact."_  
With that, he stepped into the pool, settling into a different hollow and laying back. He was about as far away from Arcee as he could manage, which left a fairly large amount of space between them. Now... did he want to remove his visor? On the one servo, that left him quite exposed and fairly easy to read. On the other servo, there wasn't any harm in Arcee being able to tell that he was relaxed, and he was planning to submerge fully anyway...  
Soundwave removed his visor, setting it aside, then shuttered his optics and shifted so that his entire frame was submerged. Humming softly, the spymaster melted into his spot, purring softly as the warm oil seeped into every gap in his frame. Oh, that felt lovely... he needed to get someone to repair an oil bath closer to the Decepticon base, though it would have to be kept secret so it wouldn't end up full of perverts. Or lit on fire. Oil baths burned brightly, and some people apparently found it entertaining to mix various chemicals into them and light them on fire.

"Orange optics, huh?" Arcee mused quietly, watching the spot where Soundwave was submerged. The oil was almost perfectly still for a few moments, then slight areas of current appeared when the spymaster's ventilation system filled with oil and began to pump it instead of air.  
A minute later, something landed in Arcee's lap. The slim femme tensed and hissed slightly, about to attack, then relaxed when the thing fluttered and chirped. Oh, that was just Laserbeak. Absentmindedly, Arcee placed a servo on Laserbeak's back, tracing her fingers in circles as the small thing chirped happily. Alright... she'd pet the symbiote. And, Soundwave had a decent idea. Arcee sank deeper into the pool, allowing the oil to completely cover her, then slowly opened her optics and blinked a couple of times. The oil was just slightly transparent, just enough for her to see Laserbeak's frame on her lap. This was quite comfortable... she'd just relax.

 

Quite a while later, Arcee surfaced and somewhat reluctantly answered a COMM message, not really wanting to get out. "Arcee here."  
**"Where are you?"**  
"Neutral territory, sharing an oil bath with Soundwave."  
**"What?"**  
"There's only one oil bath anywhere near here that isn't burned or otherwise wrecked. Soundwave turned up and said something about working with idiots being exhausting... I didn't see any harm in letting him relax. Besides, you said not to fight on neutral ground."  
**"Very well then. Please return, you are needed."**  
"Coming, sir." Arcee sighed, slowly getting out of the bath. "I'll be there soon..."

Soundwave surfaced a bit at the unexpected movement, just enough for him to see what was going on, then hummed slightly and vanished again. In fact, he shifted to move deeper into the pool, and when he did he raised one servo out of the oil and gave a tiny little wave. He respected anyone who could sit in a somewhat enclosed space with a skilled foe and be perfectly calm, especially someone who could do it without being intentionally intimidating or baring a weapon of any kind.

Arcee glanced back over her shoulder, then sped up a bit, now jogging in an attempt to air-dry a bit so she could transform and drive without just slipping on dripping oil. That had been interesting... apparently Arcee wasn't the only one who thought the Decepticons were idiots, and she wouldn't have expected Soundwave to so calmly share the pool with an Autobot.  
Come to think of it, she should probably check herself over for tracking devices or bugs... just in case Laserbeak had been after more than pets.

**Author's Note:**

> Headcanons involved in this:  
> Soundwave is a person and is capable of being fairly nice if needed. He can be reasonably polite if he wants to be, and it's easier with people who aren't annoying.  
> Soundwave has a face under the visor, and pretty orange optics are part of that.  
> Arcee was much calmer before the war sent everything to the Pit in a handbasket.  
> Laserbeak is some kind of a living critter.


End file.
